


Invited to Apply

by notoverjoyed



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Young Avengers
Genre: Gen, Kate auditions for the avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-27 00:29:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5026684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notoverjoyed/pseuds/notoverjoyed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some period of years after all the current MCU shenanigans, Kate starts doing some vigilante work. Turns out she's good enough to attract the attention and the invitation of the Avengers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Invited to Apply

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking about how Kate might be introduced into the MCU and my brain just blurted this thing out. Not beta read to be sure, so I don't mind if you point out any errors. Also wouldn't mind hearing if anyone's done anything similar.

Kate takes a deep breath after stepping out of the car, which quickly speeds away. She's left standing in front of a large building, all glass and metal, her bow and quiver at her feet. Another breath, then she straightens her back and swings her quiver on her shoulder, her bow gripped in her hand. She starts up the path to the entrance, strolling slowly with gravel crunching under her feet.

 

It was a risk coming here all the way from New York. Her father won't be likely to approve, if he even notices, but she doesn't particularly care. She's an adult now and quite capable of making her own decisions. And after all, she was invited.

 

She's still several feet from the door when it whooshes open in front of her, revealing a cavernous room beyond. Startled, she picks up the pace and strides through the entrance. The lobby, if you can call it that, is very white and bright with very little furniture. In fact, the only thing in the room is a huge curved reception desk, white to match the room. The perfectly coiffed blond head behind the desk looks up, and the receptionist greets her with a smooth smile.

 

"We've been expecting you Miss Bishop"

 

'Of course you have,' Kate thinks, but the manners drilled into her as a kid kick enough for her to smile back.

 

"Fantastic," she says and stares at the woman for a moment before asking uncertainly, "so do I just wait here, or...?"

 

"The elevator will take you where you need to go," the receptionist answers brightly.

 

"Elevator?" Kate echoes confusedly, because a quick look around shows no exit but the door she came from. At that moment a gap opens up in the broad expanse of wall to the right of the receptionist's desk.

 

"Right behind me Miss Bishop," the receptionist says.

 

"Oh, that elevator," Kate replies, and walks hurriedly to the doors. She reaches the elevator and has a hand inside when she remembers to blurt out thank you. She then swings herself inside, and just barely catches the receptionist's nod as the doors close.

 

Just after the doors are fully closed, Kate notices that there are no buttons inside the elevator, not even an emergency stop. The quickening of excitement in her chest is the only thing that keeps her form rolling her eyes at the security measure. Anyone good enough to attack Avengers Headquarters probably wouldn't be stopped by that, she thinks.

 

The movement of the elevator is very slight, but Kate's pretty sure she's moving down. Soon enough even that subtle drop slows, then stops, and the elevator doors open to reveal a long hallway extending both ways.

 

There elevator dings, so Kate steps out into the empty hallway. She looks both ways, but every door is closed except one all the way to the left. So it’s that door she makes her way to. As she draws closer she sees that only one of a set of double doors is propped open, but she can't quite tell by what. Closer still, and she realizes it’s a quiver a lot like the one on her back. It's familiar, but it appears pretty simple compared to the high-tech ones form the old videos. She frowns down at it as she walks through the door, but doesn't stop to examine it.

 

She walks a few more steps into the room, then comes to a stop and looks around. She's in a long thin room, obviously a range of some sort, and the matching pair of targets halfway down the course makes its purpose clear. Being underground, there are no windows but it’s well lit by bright overhead lights.

 

Less than a minute after walking through the doors, Kate's already starting to wonder when anyone's going to show up, because there doesn't seem to be anyone else in the room. Naturally, it’s at that moment when a voice sounds behind her.

 

"You must be the new Hawkeye I've been hearing so much about."

 

Kate tries not to jump as she turns around. Standing beside the door behind her is an average looking guy, a middle-aged face but an athletic build. The quirk of a smile on his face is totally different from the grim focused looks she remembers from the old videos she's studied, so it takes her a moment to place the face.

 

"You must be the old Hawkeye." she replies, trying to keep a straight face.

 

Unmoved by her impertinence, his smirk doesn't budge as he grabs the quiver from the floor and swing it up to rest beside the bow on his shoulder.

 

"The original Hawkeye," he says as he walks towards her and stops. "Clint Barton," he says, as if she didn't know the Avengers name.

 

"Kate Bishop," she says in return, though he probably knew her name too. Barton doesn't waste any time, but walks past her and Kate turns to follow him.

 

"Obviously you're here so I can see you shoot," he says over his shoulder when he stops.

 

"Obviously," Kate replies as she draws level beside him.

 

He huffs and pulls his bow from his shoulder. It’s a simple longbow, and like his quiver it’s a lot more basic than the compound bow Kate knows he used to use on the field.

 

"Then, we'll start easy," he says as he draws an arrow from his quiver. Kate hastily imitates him as he draws back the string, but is still a moment behind him as they let their arrows fly. Naturally, both the centers of their respective targets, but then another target appears, then another, and they keep shooting.

 

They go on like this, shooting arrows one after the other, and Kate becomes lost in the hiss of the arrows through the air and soft thumps of their impacts in the targets. Her focus is lost when Barton abruptly stops shooting. She looks over to see his bow lowered, and she does the same.

 

“You’re pretty good, for a kid,” he says, smirking as he glances over at her.

 

Kate snorts and replies, “You’re not bad either, for a retiree.”

 

Barton is about to reply when there's a clatter, and a compartment opens up in the wall to their right. Inside are two neatly stacked piles of arrows.

 

"Handy," Kate says, and Barton shrugs.

 

"Retirees need a little extra help some time." he says. "Wait though, I've still got one last trick.

 

There are still the two original targets left on the range, and he quickly draws an arrow and send it down to hit the center of one. He draws another arrow, and Kate can tell it’s aimed at the same spot.

"What are you trying to do?" she asks, and Barton shoots back an answer quickly.

 

"What does it look like?" he says, and Kate scoffs.

 

"No one can pull off the Robin Hood shot."

 

"How can you know if you don't try?" he asks, lowering his bow to look at her.

 

"What's the point in trying to do something you know is impossible?" She says, and he shakes his head

 

“Y’know what happens when you don’t bother to take the shot?,“ he asks as he raises his bow again. Turning his head back to the target, he pulls his arm back to shoot.

 

“You miss,” he says, answering his own question and letting the arrow fly. It hits the first arrow already embedded in the center, and Kate can hear the splintering of the shaft even at their distance from the target.

 

Neither of them speak after the impact, then Kate lets out the breath she’d been holding unconsciously.

 

“You have got to show me how you did that,” she finally says, and the enthusiasm in her voice surprises even her. She’s never seen anyone actually pull that shot off before, and a few people had told her it was impossible.

 

Barton huffs a laugh. “Sure, if you want,” he says, then adds, "But if we're going to do this again you should call me Clint. I'm not much for the formalities."

"Then call me Kate," she replies. Clint nods at that, then jerks his head toward the doors.

 

"Anyway, let’s set the shooting aside for now and head to the gym. We can go ahead and see how you are at hand to hand," he says.

 

Kate agrees, and they take care of their bows before heading out the double doors. At they leave the range and turn right, Clint asks her, “So, where did you learn how to shoot like that, Katie?”

 

“Camp,” she replied, “And its Kate,”

 

Clint replies apologetically, “My bad, my bad, Kate then”, then echoes, “Camp?”

 

“Interlochen National Music Camp.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“I also play the cello.”

 

Clint nods thoughtfully, and they walk in silence for a moment, approaching the elevator then passing it. They're a few feet beyond it when Kate asks him, “So, what about you?”

 

There's a pause, then he sidesteps her question and says, “I don’t play the cello."

 

She rolls her eyes and asks again, “Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

 

“You won’t believe me.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“Okay, fine,” he says, then adds just one word.

 

“Circus.”

 

Kate gapes at him for a second then blurts out, “Really?”

 

“Really really,” he says.

 

“How _long_ ago?” she asks incredulously.

 

“Long enough.”

 

“Huh.”

 

Kate’s saved from having to dig up a proper response to that revelation when Clint stops at a new set of double doors.

 

“Here we go,” Clint says as he opens the doors and stands aside.

 

“Ladies first.”

 

Kate gives him a look, but walks through anyway into a huge, but pretty typical gym, with a large floor mat for sparring near the doors. Clint follows behind her just a few steps before stopping. Curious, Kate turns to look at him.

 

“Well this is where I leave you,” he says, and Kate’s eyebrows come together in confusion.

 

“You mean you’re not...”

 

“I’m old, remember. Don't wanna risk me breaking something important,” Clint says mockingly, but with a grin on his face.

 

“But then, who-“ Kate begins to ask, but he interrupts.

 

“Don’t worry, you’ll love Nat. She’s a sweetheart” He’s headed to the doors as he says this, but stops just before he leaves the room.

 

“It was nice to meet you Kate,” he says, then leaves, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

 

Startled by his abrupt departure, Kate just stands there for a few moments, wondering if she should start to stretch.

"Who's, Nat?" she asks herself softly. "A trainer, another avenger, who-" Her questions fade away abruptly.

 

“Shit,” she mutters under her breath, just as she hears the faint sound of the elevator doors opening.

**Author's Note:**

> So obviously I took a little bit from the comics, notably the Hawkeye issue from the Young Avengers Presents miniseries from 2008. I like that issue the best, and I recommend it.


End file.
